What PAH Risk Status Means to Me

PAH patient video: What PAH risk status means to me

PAH patients and PAH Initiative Ambassadors Lauren and Karen share what risk status means to them, including how it has helped them and their doctors understand how well their treatment plans are working and if adjustments are needed.

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[On Screen Text: What Risk Status Means to Me. PAH Initiative - Sponsored by United Therapeutics - Committed to Improving the Lives of Patients.]

[On Screen Text: Lauren PAH Initiative Ambassador]

My cardiologist brought up to me the risk assessment model and explained it as a way of measuring how you're doing with your PAH health and treatments. Essentially, it's you take all of your information, how are you feeling, your diagnostic tests, and you tell your doctor, and they look at that.

[On Screen Text: Karen PAH Initiative Ambassador]

Certain tests are done to help your improvement and see where your level of your disease is.

I was actually already at a low-risk status.

I was very, very high-risk status in the beginning. And then after a year or so, my oxygen was more … better and better.

I think it's very important to improve your risk status because it's basically the question of, do you want to get better or not?

Months later, you know, I had lost some weight and you know, my numbers, my blood pressure was better.

But it's been nice to know over the years that I've been able to maintain where I'm at using the same tool.

I see it as a chart. You know, as you're down here and then, you know, a few months later you want to see that chart go up.

You have to own it. You dictate where you're headed.

And I had to do it. Nobody couldn't do it for me.

Ask your doctor about risk status if it's something you're interested in learning more about.

[On Screen Text: PAH Initiative - Sponsored by United Therapeutics - Committed to Improving the Lives of Patients. For more resources about PAH, please visit www.PAHInitiative.com]

Talking with your doctor about your risk status could be the key to doing more today and improving your chance to live longer (ie, increased chance of survival in the coming years)

Learn more about how risk assessment can help you and your doctor determine if you are getting the most out of your current treatment plan or if you could do more to get to low-risk status.

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